Mechanical toy



Jan. 4 1927. 1,613,408

l.. P. PERI-:w

MECHAN ICAL TOY- Filed Nov. 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 Jan. 4 19271,613,408 l.. P. PEREW MECHANICAL TOY Filed Nov. 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

Pitt

ECE'.

LOUIS PHILIP PEREVV.. QF NORTH TONAWANIDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO JOSEPII PEREW, OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

MECHANICAL TOY.

Application filed November 24, 1924. Serial No. 751,725;

This invention relates to improvements in mechanical toys and has forits chief object to provide a self-propelled toy which is constructedand organized to simulate a walking figure pushing a baby carriage orbusey- Another object is to provide novel means for supporting the bodyof the ligure from the carriage, and also for connecting the legs of theligure with its body and the driving mechanism of the carriage in such away that a natural walking movement is transmitted to the figure as thecarriage is propelled.

A further object of tlfe invention is to provide simple and inexpensivemeans for mounting the legs on the body of the ligure with a view ofeffecting the ready adjustment of the length of the step.

A still further object is the provision of means for effecting therolling of the eyes and tongue of the figure during the walkingmovementl thereof.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is ay side elevation of the toyembodying my improvements. Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, partlyin section. Figure 3 isan enlarged fragmentary, vertical longitudinalsection thereof taken in the plane of line 3 3, Fig. 2. Figure 4 is atransverse vertical section on line 4 4, Fig. 3. Figure 5 is a verticalsection on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5showing the legs adjusted for a shorter step. Figure 7 is a horizontalsection on line 7 7, Fig. 3. Figure 8 is an enlarged horizontal sectionon line 8 8, Fig. 3.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

rl`he baby7 carriage or buggy which forms a part of the improved toypreferably comn prises a body 10 having front and rear axles 11, 12 onwhich the wheels 18 are mounted to turn therewith. The rear Vaxle of thebuggy constitutes the driving shaft thereof, motion being transmitted tothe same from a suitable spring motor 14 or other source of powermounted on the underside of the carriage body. As shown in Fig. 1, the

'motor shaft 15 carries a sprocket 16 and the rear axle 12 carries asimilar sprocket 17, a chain 18 passing around these sprockets fortransmitting motion from the spring motor to the carriage. At its rearend the latter is provided with the customary handle bar 19.

Located or positioned at therrear end of the carriage behing the handlebar thereof is an ambulatory figure, which, in the example shown, ispreferably in the form of a doll. including a body 20, jointed armsections 21, and legs 22. rlhis ligure is suspended from the carriage insuch a manner that as the latter is propelled through the medium of itsspring motor 14, motion is transmitted to the legs 22 of said figure togive the appearance that it is pushing the baby carriage. The preferredmechanism for so suspending the ligure from the car` riage .ispreferably constructed as follows Mounted on brackets 23, secured to therear end of the carriage is a transverse shaft 24 upon which asupporting arm 25, preferably of hollow or inverted U-shaped form, ispivoted to swing in a vertical plane, said arm extending rearwardly fromthe carriage and passing through an opening 26 in the rear wall thereof,as shown in Fig. 3. A suspension spring 27 normally serves to resistdownward-swinging movement of the supporting arm. The body 10 of thefigure is mounted on the free end of the supporting arm, being securedthereto by screws 28 or other appropriate fastenings. Journaled in therear end of the supporting arm is a transverse shaft 29 from theopposite ends of which extend crank-pins 30, 30 to which the upperattaching plates 31 of the legs 22 are pivoted so that as this shaft isrotated, the legs are alternately raised and lowered. The drivingconnection from the propelling axle 12 of the carriage to the crank-pinshaft 29 consists of sprocket wheels, 32, 38, 34, 35, and correspondingsprocket chains 36, 37. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sprocket 32 ismounted on the driving axle of the carriage, the sprockets 33, 34 aremounted on the transverse shaft 24, while the sprocket 35 is mounted onthe crank-pin shaft 29, the chain 36 passing around the sprocket wheels32, 33 and the chain 37 around the sprocket wheels 34, 35 and completelyhoused within the supporting arm 25. lThrough the medium of this Yinterposed between the body and the opposingL face of the supporting arm25. Those portions of the leg-attaching plates 31 above their point ofpivotal connection with the corresponding crank-pins extend through andare guided for vertical sliding movement in longitudinal slots oropenings 39 formed in the opposite sides of the fulcrum plate 38. V Asshown in Figs. 5, G and Cf', the plate-slots 39 are substantially invertical axial alinementwith the crank-pin shaft 29 and are just longenough to receive their companion plates 31, so that during the rotationof said shaft, the legs are not only raised and lowered but are at thesame time Y thrown alternately forward and backward.

During this movement, the ends of the slots form bearing or fulcrumpoints for the legplates. Said slots also prevent lateral displacementof the legs.

The fore and aft swinging movement of the legs or the length of thesteps is regulated by a vertical adjustment of the fulorum plate 33toward and from the axis of` the crank-pin sha-ft. The nearer this plateis to the axis of said shaft, the greater the swinging stroke of theleg, while the farther away the slotted-plate is from the crank-pinshaft, the shorter the leg stroke. ln Figs. 1, 3, 4 and V5, the partsare set for a maximum stroke of the legs, While in Fig. 6, a somewhatshorter stroke is shown. To this end, Washers or suitable spacers 40 maybe interposed between the upper side of the supporting arm and theopposing face of the slotted plate 38, thereby bringing the latter agreater distance from the axis of the crank-pin shaft and accordinglyshortening` the step.

The'legs are of the' proper length to normally come in contact with theground, that is, when one foot is on the ground, the other is olf, as innatural walking. The suspension spring 27 practically counterbalancesthe weight of the ligure and during the stepping stroke imparted to thelegs, the body 10 is caused to spring up and down more or less inresponse to the feet coming in contact with and leaving the ground. Asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, the wrist sections Qla of the arms 21 arepivotally connected with the handle-bar 19 of the carriage.

The head 41 of the ligure is preferably Vprovided with eyes 42 and atongue 43.

These parts are connected With the motiontransmitting means of theligure-legs 22, so that when the toy is in motion, the eyes are rolledfrom side to side and the tongue is moved laterally from one corner ofthe mouth to the other. For this purpose, reference being hadparticularly to Figs. 3 and 3, a transverse shaft 44 is suitablysupported in the head of the figure and carries a sprocket wheel 45which is connected by a sprocket chain 46 with a similar sprocket w ieel47 mounted on the crank-pin shaft 29, s2 id chain passing throughalining openings 48 formed in the figure-body 10, the supporting arm 25and the slotted-plate 38. rl`he eyes 42 are carried by horizontallymovable levers 49 fulcrumed at 50, and have their outer ends pivotallyconnected to a tiebar 51. A spiral disk or cam 52'fixed on the shaft 44engages a notch 53 in the opposing edge of the tie-bar, so that when theshaft is turned, a reciprocating motion is transmitted to the tie bar,thereby rolling the eyes simultaneously in opposite directions.

llhe tongue 43 formed at the front end of a horiZontally-swinging lever54 fulcrumed at anduprovided at its inner end with a longitudinal slot56. rlhe tie-bar 51 carries a depending coupling pin or post 5T whichengages the tongue-lever slot 56 and shifts the tongue-lever in onedirection or the other in response to the movement of the tiebar.

rlhe operation of the improved toy is as follows:

Jhen the motor is started, motion is transmitted to the rear drivingaxle 12 of the carriage, which in turn transmits motion t-o thecrank-pin shaft 29 for imparting a step-like movement to the legs 22 ofthe ligure, giving the appearance that the latter is pushing the babycarriage. At the same time the eyes 4Q are rolled from side to sidethrough the medium of the spiral cam 52 and associated parts, and thetongue 43 is likewise moved laterally simultaneously With the movementof theeyes from one corner of the mouth to the other.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mechanical toy of the character described, comprising a Wheeledcarriage, a support projecting from one end of the carriage, a ligurehaving a body rising from said support, a rotatable member journaled insaid support and operatively connected to one of the carriage axles toturn therewith, legs eccentrically-pivoted on said rotatable memberbetween their upper and lower ends, and a fulcrum plate attached to saidsupport above said rotatable member and having longitudinal slots forreceiving the upper portions of said legs, the ends of said slotsforming bearing points for such upper leg-portions.

2. A mechanical toy of the character described, comprising a Wheeledcarriage, a

Bil

shaft journaled in the carriage, a support fulcrumed on said shaft andprojecting from one end of the carriage, a figure having a body risingfrom said support, a shaft joui'- naled in the outer end of said supportand having crank-pins at its opposite ends, legs pivotally mounted onsaid crank-pins, sprocket wheels mounted on said rstandn second-namedshafts and on one of the carriage-axles, and chains passing around saidsprocket wheels.

3. A mechanical toy of the character described, comprising a wheeledcarriage, a support projecting from one end of the carriage, a ligurehaving a body rising from said support, a rotatable member journaled insaid support and operatively connected to one of the carriage-axles toturn therewith, legs eccentrically mounted on said rotatable member, andleg-guiding means applied to said support above the rotatable member andadjustable toward and from the axis thereof, said leg-guiding meansbeing arranged to slidably receive only those portions of the legsprojecting above their point of connection with the rotatable member.

Ll. A mechanical toy of the character described, comprisingawheeled-carriage, a support projecting from one end of the carriage, afigure having a body rising from said support, a rotatable memberjournaled in said support and operatively connected to one of thecarriage-axles to turn therewith, a leg guiding member applied 'to sai-dsupport above the rotatable member and having leg-receiving slotstherein, and legs eccentrically mounted on said rotatable member, theupper portions of the legs engaging the slots Yin said guiding member,and the ends of said slots forming fulcrum points for said upper legportions.

5. A mechanical toy of the character described, comprising a wheeledcarriage, a support projecting from one end of the carriage, a ligurehaving a body rising from said support, the body including a head havingeyes and a tongue, a rotatable member journaled in said support andoperatively connected to one of the carriage-axles to turn therewith,means located within said figurebody and connected with the rotatablemember for actuating said eyes and said tongue, said means including ashaft, a reciprocating member connected with the eyes and the tongue,and a cam on said shaft in engagement with said reciprocating member.

6. An ambulatory figure, comprising a body, a shaft arrangedtransversely thereof and having crank-pins at its opposite end-s, ahorizontal leg-guiding member attached to said body above said shaft andhaving longitudinal slots in its opposite sides in substantially axialalinement with said shaft, and legs pivotally"mounted on said crankpins,the upper portions of said legs above their point of connection with thecrankpins being slidable vertically in the slots of said guiding member,and the ends of said slots forming fulcrum points for said upperleg-portions.

LOUIS PHILIP PEREW.

